Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99313 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Now this is more in line with what I was expecting.
He rises to his feet.
Noah’s a big guy. Tall and broad shouldered. He can easily bench his own body weight. I don’t want this conversation ending with a fight, but I’m prepared to deal with his anger if it does.
Ignoring Daisy, he demands, “You’re serious?”
I nod. “Yeah, I am.”
“Exactly how long has this been going on for?”
“A couple of weeks,” I admit. At least now everything is out in the open. If there’s any silver lining to the situation, that’s it.
“I don’t understand,” he mutters with a shake of his head. “Are you forgetting that this is the same girl who baked brownies filled with laxatives, so you’d shit your brains out?”
“No, I haven’t forgotten.” Noah doesn’t have a clue as to how I’ve always felt about Daisy. He doesn’t realize that I’ve spent years pushing her buttons so that she’d hate me and keep her distance.
“And now you two are what?” His face crumples in disgust and he flinches. “A couple?”
Ignoring the question, I say instead, “It was never our intention to lie to you.” I glance at Daisy, not wanting to put words in her mouth. “We needed time to figure out for ourselves what was happening between us.”
Noah shakes his head as if to clear it. “So, you two have been what? Sneaking around and screwing behind my back for weeks?”
Daisy gasps as the color drains from her face.
“That’s none of your damn business,” I bark as my fingers tighten around hers.
“The hell it is,” Noah growls as his fists clench at his sides. He looks ready to lose it and part of me can’t blame him for that. But I’m not going to stand here and listen to Noah disrespect Daisy. I don’t give a shit if she’s his cousin or not.
“My relationship with Daisy is private and has nothing to do with you,” I tell him.
That announcement only serves to piss Noah off more. His jaw locks as he bites out, “We need to have a private conversation.”
34
DAISY
“Yeah, sure.” Carter nods and gives my fingers another squeeze before releasing them. “Where do you want to go?”
“Not you,” Noah snaps and stabs a finger in my direction. “I want to talk to her.”
“What?” Carter’s brows jerk together as he glances at me in surprise.
I’m just as thrown by the request. “Me?” I place a hand on my chest to clarify. “You want to talk with me?”
Noah’s scowl intensifies. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen him this angry. He looks ready to bust a nut.
“Yeah, you.” He jerks his head toward my room. “Let’s go.”
I catch Carter’s gaze and shake my head in confusion. “Um, okay.”
This isn’t the way I saw the conversation unfolding. Noah stalks to my bedroom and I trail after him before closing the door. I knew he would be mad. My cousin has always gotten bent out of shape when his friends or teammates looked at me sideways. So, this reaction was to be expected. Although I’d assumed he would want to have it out with Carter, not me.
But maybe this is for the best. Maybe I can diffuse the situation so that it doesn’t continue to spiral out of control. The last thing I want is for Carter and Noah to be at odds with one another.
“I’m sorry about keeping this from you,” I say. “We never—”
“You and Carter aren’t happening and that’s all there is to it.” He folds his arms across his chest and glares.
Me being with any of Noah’s friends would go over like a lead balloon, but the fact that it’s his best friend makes it even worse.
I moisten my lips and try again. “Noah, let me explain—”
Refusing to listen, he shakes his head. “There’s nothing to explain, because you’re going to end things with him now before it goes any further.”
Surprised, I blink at the fierceness of his tone. “Look, you have every right to be upset.”
“You’re damn right, I do,” he bites out.
My fingers twist in front of me. “But I don’t want you to be pissed at Carter. He didn’t do anything wrong. This was all me,” I admit.
Noah frowns and his fists clench at his sides. “I never thought otherwise, Daisy.”
My brows draw together. “Wait…What?”
“Carter would never go after you.”
There’s no denying that Noah is angry that Carter and I are together, but his ire doesn’t seem to be directed at his friend. It’s directed at—
“Wait a minute.” I draw up to my full height and press a hand against my chest for a second time. “You’re angry with me?”
Noah rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I am.” He jerks his hand toward the door. “What the hell are you doing?”
Have I entered The Twilight Zone? Because nothing he’s saying makes sense.
I shake my head to clear it before muttering, “I don’t understand…”